Things About Emperor Akihito

Japanese media reported Wednesday that Emperor Akihito wants to step down early and allow his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, to succeed to the throne. While an official at the Imperial Household Agency denied the reports, the news dominated the headlines in the country because no emperor has abdicated since Japan’s modernization in the late 19th century.

Emperor Akihito, 82, is the oldest son of the late Emperor Hirohito and has reigned since 1989. He married Empress Michiko, the first commoner ever to enter the family, in 1959, and has three children.

“Emperor Akihito will be, as his father was from 1946 until his death, merely a symbol of the Japanese people and their unity. But unlike his father, who was trained from childhood to be a sovereign, a commander in chief and even a god, the new emperor was raised to think of himself as the Japanese equivalent of a British king, a constitutional-monarch figurehead in a liberal democracy. “

The emperor attended more than 250 events in 2015 including ceremonies to appoint government ministers and receptions for guests from overseas. The emperor said in December that he has been feeling his age, and there were occasions in which he made mistakes during some of the events.

Female members of the imperial household cannot accede to the throne under Japanese law. The heir apparent to the chrysanthemum throne is Crown Prince Naruhito, 56. Since he does not have a son, the second in line of succession is Prince Naruhito’s younger brother, Prince Akishino, 50, whose son, 9-year-old Prince Hisahito is third in line.

Current law is interpreted as forbidding an emperor from retiring. Any revision would be Parliament’s job, and the emperor isn’t supposed to comment on parliamentary business. Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said the administration at this point isn’t looking into a legal revision.

Implementing a retirement age for the emperor has been discussed before, including by the emperor’s own son, Prince Akishino. The prince mentioned his aging father in 2011 and said that “once a person reaches a certain age, it gradually becomes harder for people to do various things.”

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